Stars In Her Tears
by Rogue Fox
Summary: The Magic Knights have returned to Cephiro, but is all really well? This is my first MGR fic, please be nice and r/r.


Untitled 

Part One... The Return and Departure 

The moon hung low on a dark night. The sky was like dark purple velvet, studded with shining diamonds. The moon was full and huge, a unearthly hue of white. Somehow, it seemed as though no sorrow, hate, or agony could exist on this sweet, serene night. Moonlight flitted through the branches of a tree, lush and green with the warm summer months, and onto deep, soft grass. A breeze picked up and made the grass sway and whisper, no louder than a lover's sigh. Hikaru Shidou lay on her back, silently contmeplating the sweet summer night. The scents of lilies and roses were on the warm breeze. Hikaru's gaze drifted up to the branches of the aged oak under which she lay. On a gnarled branch lay Umi Ryuuzuki, one of Hikaru's best friends. Fuu sat a few feet away, leaning against the wide trunk of the oak. All three stared at the moon, wondering, dreaming. Hikaru could only imagine what her best friends thought right then, at that one silent moment. It was moments like these when she felt the closest to, and yet the farthest from, the girls Hikaru had come to know as her sisters. Hikaru turned her attention back to the moon. She wondered if he could see the same moon, if her special someone saw the same moon and thought of her just as she thought of him. The thought was somehow comforting, even if she couldn't see him. Fuu leaned forward and sighed. It was obvious to Hikaru where her friend's thoughts were now. They were with Fuu's one love, the one she was missing as much as Hikaru missed hers. Umi shifted on her branch and it groaned in response to the shift of weight. Hikaru's perception of Umi's thoughts was clouded, as always. 

" I wonder what they're doing right now." Hikaru said suddenly. Fuu and Umi looked at the moon and nodded in response. Yes, they wondered too. It was a question thought and said many times, but never answered. Hikaru was beginning to wonder more and more if it would ever be answered. Tears of the slow, burning agony that was ever present in her heart welled up in Hikaru's eyes. She blinked furiously to quell them and her pain, but a tear had already spilled over. It dripped onto her hand and sparkled there like one of the stars that glittered in the heavens. Cephiro, Hikaru thought as more tears spilled, I miss you and all you hold, your people, your land. Oh, will I ever see him again? Why must I suffer? Hikaru felt a choked sob escape her throat. Fuu crawled over to her and Umi dropped from her branch and landed with a heavy thud. The cry of pain that escaped Umi's throat was due to more than physical pain. The three girls embraced each other. Hikaru could feel her sisters' tears mingling with her own tears. Three seperate anguishes that were actually all the same mingled with the tears that now flowed freely, like their blood had mingled on the ground in the days of Cephiro. Hikaru pressed her head against Umi's usually strong shoulders which were now shaking with pain. Hikaru's thin arm was draped around Fuu, who was shaking violiently with dull anguish. Hikaru's head on Umi's shoulder, Umi's head on Fuu's shoulder, Fuu's head on Hikaru's shoulder, and arms intertwined in a sisterly embrace meant to comfort others and themselves. Hikaru raised her head slightly and saw the Swiss Army pocket knife she had brought laying on the ground nearby, glinting in the pale moonlight. She reached for it and held it in the middle of the ring she and her sisters had formed. All three girls stared as Hikaru pulled out the big blade and twisted it so that the metal caught the un earthly light, and each one knew what it stood for, what it meant. As if controled by one mind, they all stood together and walked to a nearby stream. The moon's reflection was on the slowly meandering water. Hikaru felt as though her mind was moving in slow motion. She lifted the blade to her wrist and slowly, softly drew it down her arm. The blade did not cut skin, but the motion was a gesture of the hopelessness in Hikaru's heart. Umi and Fuu nodded. Yes. They knew. It hurt for them too. They understood. 

" I will think no less of you, my sisters." Fuu said quietly, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a hunter's pocket knife. She flipped the blade open. Umi sighed. 

" I haven't forgotten why we come here tonight." she said, holding out a sharp, golden letter opener. The message was clear. Life no longer had a point to it. Or, the only point existed in Cephiro and the only alternative was the point of a knife being readied to be dug into your wrist. 

" On the count of three." Hikaru said slowly. She put out her hand, wrist up. Umi and Fuu followed suit. The girls positioned their suicide weapon above their wrist. Their hands clasped in a last gesture of eternal friendship and sisterly love. 

" One..." Fuu whispered. The girls pressed the blades to their wrists. And then, barely audible, " Ferio." Fuu had called to her beloved on her last word. 

" Two..." Umi said. " Don't forget me, please." she begged. Hikaru could feel her sisters and herself tense. 

" Lantis..." Hikaru whispered. " Three!" she cried, closing her eyes and plunging the blade into her wrist. There was no pain. All Hikaru could feel was the soft ground as she fell and her sisters' bodies collapsing softly and the echo of her voice falling on her ears. The world around her began spin, and then, slowly fade. So this is death, Hikaru thought faintly. Lantis... 

Umi opened her eyes slowly. There was white everywhere. Am I dead, she wondered. She felt so light and free. She blinked slowly and tried to focus, but everything was fuzzy. Shadows were moving around her now and faint snatches of voices could be heard. 

" Doc...lot of blood...prob...can't hear... Tho... strange.... men... brought...here...disappeared...trace." a female voice said. Umi could feel her consciousness beginning to fade. 

" Was...suicide attempt? There...no... I.D. No...who...are?" a male voice asked. 

" No. But...young men...know them." the first voice responded. Umi closed her only halfway opened eyes and embraced the sweet darkness that welcomed her. 

Fuu regained consciousness without opening her eyes. A hand was forcing something warm and very bad tasting down her throat. Her eyes snapped open and she angrily tried to shove the hand away with a cry. Much to her surprise, she could hardly lift her hand, much less push the strong hand away. Everything was foggy and Fuu could only vaguely make out a face hovering above her. The voice was slightly muggy, but the words were distinguishable. 

" There, now. That's not so bad. Now tell Nurse Miko, who are you, and who was that handsome young man who brought you here?" the voice asked. Fuu rolled her head in lack of comprehension. 

" Huuuhhh?" she moaned. This person was making no sense. Fuu tried to say her name, but her voice was not cooperating with her. " F..." the "f" sound was all she could get out. But I'm supposed to be dead, she thought. What's going on? Sleep reached out to take her and, to weak to resist, Fuu surrendered easily. Ferio's face rose in her mind. Oh, Ferio, Fuu thought, what went wrong? 

Hikaru slowly opened her eyes. She waited for her vision to return and found she was staring at a white wall. Was it all just a dream, she wondered, remembering the moon and the stream and the knife. Her eyes drifted down to her wrist. Stitches were woven through her skin down a long, jagged wound and an IV tube snaked its way up from its position taped to her arm to a clear, plastic sack with clear liquid in it. No. It hadn't been a dream. It had been real. But she was still alive. Hikaru rolled over gently and saw Umi and on Umi's other side, Fuu. Both were sleeping in hospital beds. Umi was laying in the perfect position for Hikaru to see the neat slice down Umi's wrist and the thick stitches holding the skin together. Umi had her own IV tube. She was obviously alive. Hikaru could not make enough of Fuu out to see her wrist wound, but she could see the IV stand. A nurse bustled in and began to take Fuu's vital signs and then Umi's. Hikaru closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. A hospital. Someone had brought them to a hospital. After the nurse hustled off, Hikaru opened her eyes again. So we're not dead, she thought. Umi sat up abruptly and looked around. When her eyes landed on Hikaru, she started. 

" I'm alive." she said as though she couldn't quite believe it. Hikaru nodded and gingerly sat up. 

" Alive and well, it seems." Fuu's voice drifted from Umi's other side. She also sat up. Umi put her hands to her head and moaned softly. 

" What now?" she asked. 

" I don't know." Hikaru admitted. Another nurse hurried in and started upon seeing the three girls awake. 

" Well, the sleeping beauties have awakened." she said cheerfully. None of the girls answered. " Mind telling me who you are?" the nurse asked gently. Fuu and Umi looked up sharply at Hikaru who shook her head and then slowly and deliberately laid back down. Umi and Fuu exchanged glances and then followed suit. The nurse shrugged and left. Hikaru sighed. 

" It's as close to dying as we're going to get." she told her friends. Fuu let a small sob escape her throat and Umi nodded, squeezing her eyes shut. Lantis, Hikaru cried out with her heart, come on, you can rescue me now. I want to go home! Hikaru felt the tears slip down her cheeks and soak her pillow. Home was worlds away, in Cephiro, with Lantis. 

Umi was making this business as absolutely difficult for the attendants as possible. And she was enjoying it. It had been three weeks since the girls had fully awakened. They hadn't said one word to nurses, doctors, police dectectives, or psychologists that had analyzed her. Finally, they had all given up on the three " No Name Girls," as they had come to be called. Now, they were being carted off to an asylum. The looney bin, as Umi had dubbed it. Andthe attendants were very quickly learning how very difficult Umi could and would make their lives. Hikaru and Fuu were cooperating to some extent. Hikaru flashed Umi a look that told her to quit fooling around. With that, Umi kicked the two attendants in the shins and followed Hikaru and Fuu into the back of the asylum van. The three girls sat down calmly. The doctors, all puzzled, simply decided to leave them be. The doors were closed and bolted. Fuu leaned back and grinned sadly. 

" Well, now they'll never figure out our names, but I doubt they'll stop trying." she said. Umi cocked her head thoughtfully. 

" Yes, but what if they try to seperate us?" she asked fretfully. 

" Then I intend to raise all heck." Hikaru said, smiling mischeviously. Umi smiled back at her friend. The van rumbled to life and pitched forward. 

" You guys wanna know what I heard the doctors say about us?" Umi asked. 

" Sure!" her friends answered enthusiastically. 

" Dr. Hido said, ' They appear to be completely competent and sane, aside from their refusal to spaek.' And then Dr. Chiba said, ' Yes, and they also make it clear they understand perfectly what's going on around them. They react to any given stimulus normally. Other than the refusal to speak, they're normal teenage girls. We'll probably never know who they are or if they even remember the night they were brought here.'" Umi finished. The girls giggled. Their plan to never tell their true identities or even speak was going perfectly. Umi didn't tell the others that the doctors had also discussed what might have driven three otherwise perfectly sane girls to suicide. Needless to say, they hadn't come up with the theory that the girls had been to another world, fallen in love there, fought there, met their closest friends and allies there, and fulfilled their destinies there. Umi cast a glance down at her wrist, which was now taped. The stitches had been removed, leaving behind an ugly scar with dots for where the thick cord for the stitches had been running along the sides. Hikaru saw Umi stare at he scar and lifted her own wrist, revealing an almost identical scar. Fuu held up her wrist to reveal a scar that was longer and wider than the other two's. Hikaru's was also more jagged than Umi's neat slice. Umi leaned back and listened to the van's engine rumble. The van hit a pot hole and jarred, but none of the girls noticed. How did I get here, Umi wondered, remembering the young men the nurses had often prodded her to speak of. Umi had been baffled. Who would have been out in the woods that late, to find three suicidal girls? They must have found them soon after the girls had slit their wrists, the hospital was a good hour away from the woods the girls had chosen for their death. Cephiro, Umi thought sadly, will I ever see you again? 

Fuu stared sullenly at wall. It was night, and the half moon shone through the tiny hole in the wall everybody called a window. The sounds of her friends even, rhythmic breathing floated through the air like the mist outside. Fuu closed her eyes and nestled into her bed, but sleep would not come. To ease her troubled thoughts, Fuu conjured up an image of Ferio. His somewhat messy mop of green hair glinted in sunlight. He looked like he had the first day she had seen him. His voice calling out to her, it was almost as though he was standing next to her. 

" Fuu..." she could almost hear him. Fuu squeezed her eyes shut harder. She was afraid to open her eyes, simply because she did not want to feel the disappointment at seeing he wasn't really there. 

" Fuu..." the voice that sounded so much like Ferio was more insistant now. It's only some stupid night nurse, Fuu warned herself. A hand gently shook her shoulder. Just like his hand, Fuu thought dreamily. 

" Fuu, open your eyes." the voice pleaded. Just a night nurse, Fuu reminded herself. Wait, the nurses don't know my name. 

" Is she waking up?" another male voice asked. Fuu felt her body stiffen in fear. Who was in her ward? 

" No. These idiots might have sedated them." the first replied. Ferio, Fuu thought in disbelief. Her eyes snapped open and she saw the figure bent over her. A shock of green hair glistening in the moonlight, strange eyes, eyes that Fuu recognized. I have to be dreaming, Fuu thought. His head was turned, looking at someone else, giving Fuu only his profile. Suddenly, he turned his head to her. His eyes widened, but before he could react other than that, Fuu threw her arms around his neck and buried her face in his neck just below his chin. 

" Ferio!" came her muffled cry. She felt his arms hold her gently. " Oh, Ferio, you came! I've been so lonely!" she cried, tears flowing freely. Her eyes opened again and she could see the shadowed figures of Lantis and Eagle. They hadn't even noticed her awakening. 

" How do you wake them up?" Lantis asked angrily. 

" Maybe they're really are sedated." Eagle suggested. Fuu smiled. 

" No, you just don't know how to do it." she called to them. They looked up in surprise while Fuu reached down and grabbed her pillow. Taking careful aim, she threw it at Umi's head. It landed with plop, right on target. The target shot up and slammed her head right into Eagle's, who had been leaning over her. Eagle stumbled back. 

" Ow! Stupid night nurses! What's a girl gotta do to get a decent night's sleep around here?! LEAVE ME ALONE!!!!" Umi screamed. Hikaru sat bolt upright. 

" Umi, shut up. It's late and I wanna go to sleep." she stated drowsily. She looked at Lantis and then Eagle, and finally, Ferio hugging Fuu. Hikaru's sleep glazed eyes drifted back to Lantis. " Huh. That night nurse looks just like Lantis. Now I know I need some sleep." Fuu surpressed a giggle as Hikaru continued to stare at Lantis as though she was missing something and was trying to figure what. Umi blinked a few times and then pinched herself. Letting out a little yelp, she seemed convinced she wasn't dreaming, and then commenced to grin somewhat insanely. 

" Tell me you're here to take us home." Umi begged, now fully awake. HIkaru wasn't quite there yet, but she was getting closer. 

" Wait a minute, that night nurse looks a lot like Lantis. A whole lot. As a matter a fact, he looks exactly like Lantis." she said slowly. Umi groaned and then threw her pillow at Hikaru, hitting her right in the face. Hikaru sputtered and yanked the pillow away from her face. The hit seemed to wake her up. " What was that for? Lantis? Ohmigosh, can we go home now, please say we can!" she cried, leaping up and latching herself onto Lantis. Fuu squeezed Ferio and snuggled up closer to him. 

" Yes, please say we can." she added quietly. Ferio looked her right in the eye, his own pale eyes meeting her green. He smiled slowly. 

" We wouldn't have come if we couldn't take you back with us." he said. Umi let out a sqeal of delight and began running in little circles. Hikaru was already in the process of choking Lantis, and poor Eagle was on his own when Umi decided to express her gratitude. Fuu pulled Ferio close to her and breathed in his scent. He, in turn, buried his face in the nape of her neck and sighed. 

" I've missed you." he said softly. 

" I've missed you too." Fuu said. Home. That sounds nice, she thought. 

Hikaru's eyes fluttered open. The sounds of birds chirping greete her. Gentle sunlight poured over her. In front of her lay her wrist, reminding her that her past was still real, even if she had finally returned to Cephiro. She pulled her wrist against her chest so she didn't have to see it. Next to her, Lantis groaned and rolled over, unconsciously tossing his arm over her. He mumbled something unintelligiible and once again drifted to peaceful sleep. Hikaru smiled as she remembered the night before. With a little of Clef's help, they were able to cross into Cephiro without any trouble. Upon arriving in Cephiro, they had promptly lay down and fallen asleep in the grassy meadow. Now, as she listened to her friends contented sighs and even breath, she felt as though her world was finally complete. Lantis shifted again and pulled her close to him. Still smiling, Hikaru squirmed out of his grasp and rolled over and stared at his face. His dark hair fell over presently shut eyes and Hikaru wondered why he, who was so perfect and handsome, would want her. Lantis slowly opened his eyes and saw Hikaru. He closed his eyes again and shook his head, as if trying to clear it. He opened his eyes again and seemed surprised that Hikaru was still there. 

" I'm real." Hikaru assured him. Lantis blinked again as if he still couldn't quite believe it. 

" Yes. I thought you were a dream. I've woken up so many mornings and thought I saw you next to me, only to find I was only dreaming. But finally, I'm not dreaming." he whispered, reaching out and pulling Hikaru to him. 

" No. The time we spent apart was the dream. It was a nightmare. It was only a nightmare. But now we've woken up and we can start to live again." Hikaru said softly. Lantis smiled and kissed her forehead. 

" You're right. It was just a nightmare. But it's difficult to believe you're not a dream. You're so sweet." he whispered. Hikaru blushed at his comment and buried her face in his chest. His scent was in her nostrils. Someone stirred a little ways away. The morning sun was rising and its light was becoming more insistant. I've got Lantis, Hikaru thought, and Fuu has Ferio, but who for Umi. Hikaru smiled. She had not missed the curious glances Eagle and Umi had been giving each other when they thought the other wasn't looking. How strange and yet right it seemed to think that Umi and Eagle might become interested with one another. After the little episode with Ascott, Hikaru wondered what Umi really thought about in the area of romance. Or who. But as of now, Hikaru was content to lie in Lantis's grasp like she had dreamed of doing for four years. Less for Lantis, lucky him. Yes, Hikaru had been dreaming. The scar on her wrist she had so far managed to hide was proof of the sheer terror and anguish of it. And now the morning had come, her first morning in Cephiro, with Lantis. Her first morning of life, real life. 

Umi slowly lifted herself from the soft sanctuary that she had slept on. Moving her stiff muscles, Umi remembered now why she hated camping. Maybe the sanctuary wasn't so soft after all. At least, not after a night like last night. Umi forced herself to open her eyes and keep them open. Lantis and Hikaru were gone. Fuu was snuggled against a very content looking Ferio, both of them smiling in their sleep. Umi felt a surge of self-pity. Was there no one to hold her? Would there be no sweet nothings for her? Quickly she fought it down and decided to find a stream and splash some water on her face. Just before she left, she caught sight of Eagle, sleeping rather contentedly next to the spot where she had slept. Umi felt a blush on her cheeks. He had slept so close to her, and yet she hadn't even noticed him. Umi shook her head and walked out of the meadow into a forest. The transformation was instant. One minute, she was walking in soft grass, the next on fallen leaves and pine needles. She found a tiny stream meandering through the forest without having to go far. She reached into the cool water and cupped her hands tightly. She splashed the water in her face and repeated the process several times. After wiping her face dry on her sleeve, Umi caught sight of her wrist. She sat, crouched by the stream, staring at her wrist for a few long moments. That single scar stood for all the pain she had endured for the past four years and then her attempt to end it all. Suddenly, Umi remembered one detail that didn't fit. The three young men who had brought her and her friends to the hospital after their suicide attempt had never been found. Umi was still pondering this detail when she heard footsteps behind her. To hide her scar, she dipped her hands into the water again. A young man knealt next to her and nodded his greeting. It was Eagle. 

" Morning." he said shortly, taking a handful of water and drinking it. He then splashed the water on his face. Not really thinking straight, Umi kept her hands underwater, painfully aware of how cold it was. Eagle noticed quickly. 

" Why aren't you taking your hands out of the water?" he asked. Umi wanted to kick herself for her stupidity. Duh, of course it would look stupid if I sit here with my hands in freezing water, she thought. She raced to think of a good excuse. 

" I...uh... Well, I... I slept on top of may arms last night and now they're asleep. The water helps them wake up." she said. It sounded like a bad excuse even to Umi. And Eagle obviously wasn't buying it. 

" Well, I seem to remember seeing you sleeping on your back this morning." he said, sounding suspiscious. Umi at first was baffled. How would she think up an excuse now? Then she felt a number of emotions at the fact that he had been watching her. Realizing she was trapped, Umi slowly pulled her hands from the water, trying to turn her wrist so that Eagle couldn't see the scar. Umi wasn't counting on the fact that Eagle, true to his name, had good eyesight. 

" What's that on your arm?" he asked, reaching out for her arm. Before Umi could react, he had gently twisted her wrist to get a better look. Umi felt her body slump in defeat. 

" A scar." was all Eagle said. He didn't ask her where or how she got it, or even why she had tried to hide it. He seemed almost sad at the sight of it. Maybe he knows what it means, Umi thought. The idea was pianful. For reasons she couldn't explain, Umi wanted Eagle to think better of her than she thought of herself at the moment, and she certainly didn't want him to think she was suicidal wacko. Eagle, however, acted as though he had never seen her scar. He didn't bring it up. He told her about how old friends were doing and they talked about the weather and other trivial things of no importance. Eagle seemed pleased at Umi's consent to walk with her to find the others. Umi found his company more and more enjoyable, and was regretting the fact that she had never gotten to know him before. It was like they had been destined to have this encounter in the forest. This thought was paricularly pleasing to Umi. 

Fuu fought to keep her eyes closed. She silently cursed the sunlight and begged for this morning to last a little longer. She only wanted a little more bliss. Ferio groaned and pulled her closer to him. 

" Less light, more time." he whispered. Fuu nodded and tried to find the bright side to the despair of her first morning with Ferio coming to an end. It hit her an immediately made her feel better. 

" Think of it this way. This morning is only the first of a whole lifetime of mornings that we can share." she said. Ferio opened his eyes. 

" When does that start?" he asked. Fuu opened her eyes and felt her heart melt at his gaze. 

" It just did." she told him. Her answer seemed to please him. He kissed her softly at first, then more intently. Fuu kissed back and then lay with her head on his chest, listening the deep, rhythmic pounding of his heart. He absently ran his fingers through her hair, eyes closed and propbably thinking about all those mornings yet to come. Fuu could hear Umi talking to Eagle, their voices close and rapidly getting closer. Fuu looked up at Ferio, who had fallen asleep. Fuu smiled and shook him gently. 

" Ferio, wake up." she whispered. Ferio opened his eye slowly and smiled broadly. 

" I like that." he said happily. Fuu was confused. 

" Like what?" she asked. 

" Waking up to your face." he told her. Fuu smiled at him and then forced herself to get up. 

" Come on. Don't you think we should get moving? Clef must be worried by now." Fuu said. Ferio shrugged. Fuu couldn't help but wonder how he could be in love with her. She decided not to question something that felt so right. 

Umi squinted against bright sunlight. The castle hadn't changed a bit. It was as though she had never been gone. Hikaru and Fuu were chattering about seeing old friends. The topic about whether or not Clef had changed any rose and Umi lowered her head and blushed. Memories of Clef roused feelings that hadn't been disturbed in a while. Eagle's presence was not helping. Umi felt like her heart had been thrown for a loop. It was pounding hard and Umi didn't even know why. There was no way Clef could possibly be interested in her, was there? Umi was suddenly no longer sure. It had been easier to convince herself of that when Clef was a world away, even when she had a letter opener positioned above her wrist. But now, when Clef was less than four hundred yards away, she found her heart pounding and her mind racing. She had felt like something might have been going on between her and Eagle, but now, when she was about to see Clef, it no longer seemed important. A figure appeared outside the palace. There was an excited feminine squeal and the figure came rushing at them. 

" Caldina-oof!" Hikaru started, only to be cut off by Caldina's over excited hug. 

" Caldina, you'll choke her." said a male voice behind Caldina. Lafarga smiled. " Welcome home, Magic Knights." he said. Umi smiled as Caldina screamed something unintelligible and attacked Fuu. 

" We're glad to be back." Umi spoke for her friends, Hikaru recovering from nearly suffocating and Fuu suffering it. Umi ran and hid before Caldina could attack her. Finally, Caldina calmed down. To some extent. 

" Oh, I'm so HAPPY! I think I'm gonna cry! OH, HERE I GO!!" she screamed, tears pouring from her eyes like twin fountains. At least now they could actually understand her. Hikaru seemed to have recovered, but Fuu was still breathing hard. 

" Hi, everyone!" Presea called. 

" Presea!" the three girls called out in unison. Somewhat tearful hugs were exchanged. 

" You must be tired. Come on in." Presea offered. Umi almost said that they had slept quite well last night, but thought better of it. She was actually kind of tired after the long walk to the castle. Presea led them all into the main room of the castle. Clef was standing in the center of it. Umi drew her breath in sharply but found it caught in her throat. He had changed. He was not the same, short, childish looking person Umi remembered. He had...changed. 

" Wow, Clef, you grew." Hikaru admonished, and Fuu, knowing about Umi, nudged her with her elbow in the ribs. 

" Hikaru." Fuu growled. Hikaru, being her naive, innocent self, was lost. 

" What? What did you do that for?" she said, seemingly very loudly. Umi didn't even notice either of them. Her eyes met Clef's and locked. She felt rooted to the ground by his gentle, knowing look. What Hikaru had said was true. He had grown. He was now at least as tall as Umi, but he had not lost the boyish look. Umi felt lost for words. She felt faint, and tired. 

" You must be tired." Clef said, still staring straight at Umi. His voice had not changed. " Presea, would you be so kind as to take them to their quarters?" he asked. Umi remained glued to her spot. " And welcome home, Magic Knights. I've missed you." he added. Umi felt as though he had been speaking directly to her, and no one else was near. She felt Fuu gently tugging at her arm. She stumbled along with them, her eyes never leaving Clef's. Finally, he smiled at her gently and mouthed the word "rest" and broke the connection. The spell passed and Umi's steps became more deliberate, but they still dragged. Presea left them in a large room with three beds, three writing desks, and three dressers with mirrors. One dresser had red handles, another blue, and another green. One bed had a red comforter, one had blue one, and one had a green one. The desks could be told apart by the words written in gold lettering at the top of the writing area, "Hikaru," "Umi," and "Fuu." The letters had been engraved into the wood and the coated with gold. Hikaru promptly plopped down on the bed with the red comforter. 

" I am so tired." she said, laying down so that her legs were hanging off the side. She kicked her shoes off and sighed. Umi walked over to the dresser with blue handles and ran her fingers along the fine grained wood, admiring the careful detail that had gone into carving it. Fuu had seated herself at the desk with her name on it. She opened a few drawers and cried out. 

" There are letters in my desk! And they have my name on them!" she cried, picking up a hefty stack of letters and opening the top one. " They're from Ferio!" she said. She read a few words and began to blush. Umi could only guess what sweet nothings Ferio had written to Fuu. Hikaru had already made a mad scramble to get to her desk and had ripped open the top drawer. She had spread a huge amount of letters over the top of the desk and chose the one with the earliest date, the one that had been written longest ago, and ripped it open. Umi slowly walked over to her own desk and deliberately opened the top drawer. There was a stack of letters. She pulled the bottom one out and read the date. It was about two years ago, the time they had been gone in Cephiro. It had been four years for them, two years for there friends in Cephiro. Umi slowly and deliberately opened the envelope. She pulled out the folded paper and looked up at her friends. They were blushing avidly, Hikaru reading as fast as she could, Fuu pausing every once in a while to press the paper to her chest and sigh. Umi's hands trembled as she unfolded the letter. The writing on the paper was the same as the writing on the envelope. Clef's hand writing, Umi thought, unable to quell the unfamiliar feelings that arose. Two years ago, Clef had written on the very paper she now clutched with shaking hands. Umi could hardly bring herself to read the words, but she could not resist. She read the words slowly, always stopping to reread something. 

Dear Umi, 

I don't know where to begin. I can't help but wonder why I'm even writing this. No matter how much I miss you, you're not going to get this letter anytime soon. 

I guess I'm trying to make up for things I should have said when I was silent. There were so many things I wanted to say to you, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I'm not even sure where to start, even now. If only my heart would quit beating so fast. I miss you. I guess I should start with that. It's as good a place to start as any. Now I'm just rambling. I miss you so much, it hurts. It feels like a great big hole in my heart, so big, you could fit the whole of Cephiro and a few other worlds in it. It feels like I'm being eaten to bits by vultures but no matter how long they pick at me, they never finish me off and I'm still hurting in this awful agony. 

I also want to say I love you. I love you so much. Over seven hundred years and not once have I ever felt like this before. Not one time have I ever wanted so much to just touch a person. Now I finally see what I've been missing out on. As much as it hurts to be away from you, I know that when we are finally together, it will bring me more joy than I rightly know how to deal with. I feel as though I might explode just thinking about it. 

I wonder how I will express this to you in words. Sure, it's easy enough now when I can't see you and be totally baffled by your beauty and grace, but what will I do when I am face to face with you? I suppose only time will tell. So I will wait. But I will also dream about you, my sweet Umi, and wake up in the morning and imagine you're next to me, until the day you truly are. 

Love, 

Clef 

Umi read his name over and over again. Across the room, Hikaru giggled at something in her letters, from Lantis, no doubt. My sweet Umi, he had called her. 

" Clef." Umi whispered. She carried her stack of letters to her bed with the blue comforter and lay down, opening the next one to read. The next three hours were a haze as she read the letters Clef had written. He wrote about all sorts of things, a birthday here, a monster sighting there, any excuse he could come up with to write to her as though she would actually receive the letters before it became old news. When Umi looked up, the sun had long since set. Hikaru was still in her clothes, half asleep and struggling to read the last couple of letters. It seemed Lantis had written to her every hour of every day. Fuu had already dressed for bed, pulling amply supplied green nightgowns from her dresser that had probably been chosen by Caldina and Presea, and curled up beneath her blankets. Umi stood and streched her stiff muscles. She walked over to her dresser and sifted through it until she found a nightgown, long and soft and sky blue, and went into the attached bathroom to change. When she came out, Hikaru was struggling to stand while looking for her own night clothes. The nightgown swirled around Umi's bare feet as she tossed the asylum uniform she had been given over her desk chair and crawled into bed. Wrapping the soft cotton sheets around herself and nestling into the soft bed, Umi let her thoughts drift to the sweet nothings Clef had written her. He started each letter all business, but slowly he would start writing as though he were whispering in her ear. Different phrases floated through Umi's exhausted mind. I love you... When you come back... how can I expect you to understand...so beautiful... my beautiful Umi... miss your gentle touch, your soft skin... if I could see you one more time... so little I wouldn't do... Umi. The way he wrote her name took her breath away. It was as though he had spoken her name has he wrote it, loving every syllable and letter of it. Loving her as much as she found herself loving him. 

" Clef." she whispered into the pillow. -and imagine you're next to me, until the day you truly are. The words Clef had written made her smile and wonder if he imagined she was next to him right now. It was an interesting thought. Umi drifted to sleep, comforted by the familiar sounds of Hikaru and Fuu's even, soft breath. 

The morning came with the same bright insistant as always. For a moment, Umi thought she was back in her own room in her own home back in Tokyo, and the whole nightmare of the suicide attempt and the hospital, the asylum, returning to Cephiro, and Clef's beautiful letters were all just a dream. Umi almost burst into tears that it had been a dream. When her eyes focused, though, she saw she was in the room in the castle, in the bed with the blue comforter. Fuu was standing at her dresser, combing her hair, and already dressed. She was wearing her school uniform. Umi stood and swayed a little, smiling at Hikaru's faint snores. She once again sifted through her dresser and emerged with her own school unform. After she had changed, she found a blue brush with her name in gold letters written on the handle and ran it through her long, straight hair. As she was primping and putting the finishing touches, Hikaru awoke with a start and scrambled out of bed to grab her uniform and dress. Umi and Fuu laughed at their little friends efforts and exchanged looks. Umi ran a hand over the pile of open letters from Clef. A knock sounded on the door. 

" Who is it?" Fuu called. 

" It's Presea." Answered Presea's voice. 

" And Caldina!" another voice added. Umi smiled as Hikaru trudged out of the bathroom and snagged her red brush and began braiding her hair. 

" Come in!" Umi called. The door opened and the two Cephiro women walked in. Caldina bounced around a little before settling down. Presea immediately saw the three piles of opened letters. 

" I see you got your mail." she said with a smile. 

" Two years worth of it. See what happens when you take a vacation?" Umi cracked. Small giggles escaped. Caldina was acting like there was something she wanted to say but either someone had told her not to say anything or she was supposed to wait. Hikaru noticed and spoke before thinking. 

" Caldina, is there something you want to say?" she asked. Caldina looked like she would burst. Presea slapped her hand to her forehead. 

" Oh, boy. Here we go." she said. Caldina finally errupted. 

" Guru Clef wants to see Umi in his chamber but I'm not supposed to say anything until later cause he doesn't want to be too insistant but I'm not that stupid I know he really wants to see Umi bad cause he looked like something was eating away at his insides and thats exactly how I feel when... Okay, I'll shut up now." Caldina said, only pausing for breath when she was about to let out something she really didn't want to say. Presea sighed as Caldina gasped for breath. 

" Are you done?" she asked. Caldina thought for a moment. 

" Yeah, I'm done." she said finally. Hikaru and Fuu giggled while Umi's cheeks turned an interesting shade of red. 

" He wants to see me?" Umi asked, unsure of what to do. Presea smiled. 

" Well, now that blabber mouth spoiled it, yes." she answered. Fuu and Hikaru took the moment to jump behind Umi and give her little shoves. 

" You go girl!" Hikaru encouraged. 

" Your love awaits, Umi!" Fuu cried. Caldina looked like she would burst from laughter now. Even Presea had troube not laughing. Everyone except Umi was dying of laughter. Umi stood there and continued to blush. Hikaru breathed deeply and patted her on the shoulder. 

" Go on. It's alright." she encouraged. Umi smiled. 

" Thanks, little Hikaru." she said, patting her on the head and running out the door. She knew her way to Clef's room. The door was huge. Umi took a deep breath and ran a hand through her hair, smoothed her skirt, and straightened her little tie. Finally prepared, but not feeling that way in the least, Umi raised her fist and knocked on the door. She heard the sound echo inside and thought, no turning back now, girl. 

" Who is it?" Clef's voice sounded grumpily from inside. Umi took another deep breath. 

" It's me. Umi." she said. There were shuffling sounds from inside and the door opened. Umi had forgotten the change in Clef's height and was not expecting his familiar face to be at her level. The face that had not changed. He opened the door and cleared his throat. 

" I wasn't expecting you till later. Let me guess. Caldina told." he said, somewhat irritated. 

" Yes." Umi said, unable to shake her nervousness. Clef shook his head and mumbled something to himself, probably curses. 

" That girl. Can't tell her a thing." he mumbled. " Come in." he said, throwing the door open and gesturing for Umi to follow him. Umi was just beginning to grasp his new height, but was still baffled by how she no longer had to look down to speak to him. In a strange way, she liked it. The giant room had not changed since the last time she was there. Clef made a chair materialize out of thin air and motioned for Umi to sit. 

" Thank you." Umi said, sitting and clasping her hands in front of her. Clef seemed to notice this and smiled. How can I tell him that I read his letters, Umi wondered. Clef gave her that gentle, knowing look that seemed to urge her on. 

" I... I read the letters." she said, keeping her eyes averted and glued to the ground. There was a rustle as Clef moved in his cloak. 

" Oh. And?" he prodded gently. Umi could feel his eyes on her, loving her with only his eyes. 

" And... I...don't know what to say." Umi said helplessly. A hand rested on her shoulder and Umi instinctively looked up. Right into Clef's eyes. 

" Yes, you do. You just don't know how to say it." Clef said. His lavender hair almost blocked his eyes from view, but Umi hear the strain behind his words. Clef reached up and gently stroked her cheek. 

" I... I..." Umi could not speak. 

" Ssshhh. I like it when you just stay quiet and look at me like this." Clef said softly. The silence was immense. His eyes were filled with something... Were they tears? 

" Clef!" Umi cried, throwing herself into his strong grasp and burying her face in his neck. 

" Sssshhh, my sweet Umi, it's alright now, we're together. The nightmare's over. It's morning in Cephiro." Clef whispered into her ear. 

" And I'm in your arms. Next to you." Umi said. Clef lifted her chin. His lips were so close. 

" Just like I've dreamed for two years." he whispered back. 

" I know." Umi said. Clef cradled her head in his hands while Umi ran her fingers through his hair. This is the part of Cephiro I missed, Umi though suddenly. It was Clef that had drawn her back. His hands went around her waist and gripped her ferociously, protectively. Clef drew her closer to him. He's going to kiss me, Umi thought fleetingly, please let him kiss me. Suddenly there was a knock on the closed door. 

" Guru Clef! Breakfast will be on the table in five minutes!" called Eagle's voice. Umi's head dropped against Clef's chest and she moaned softly. He kissed the top of her head and chuckled softly. 

" I'll be there in a minute." he called back. He leaned his head against Umi's and laughed. 

" Kill him." Umi requested, frowning seriously. Clef simply laughed harder. 

" Your wish is my command, my love." he said with a flourish. Umi leaned against him heavily and grinned broadly. She raised her hand to his cheek and patted it lovingly. 

" You grew. You're not so small anymore." she said. Clef smiled and placed his hand on top of hers, kissed it and guided it around his neck. 

" Just for you, my pretty Umi." he said. Umi smiled and laid her head against his chest. Slowly, they began to turn in a slow circle, dancing to music that only they could hear. 

" Clef, I-" Umi started, only to be interrupted by a more insistant knock. 

" Guru Clef! Breakfast!" Eagle called again. Umi's face flushed as she whirled around and started to charge to the door. Clef grabbed her around the waist. 

" I'm gonna kill him!" she cried. Clef pulled her to him and she looked over her shoulder and into his eyes. 

" Kill him later." he said, putting a hand on the side of Umi's cheek and pulling her to him. Umi closed her eyes and her heart pounded anxiously. Then came the door knocker again. 

" Guru Clef!" came the insistant cry. Umi and Clef both stood for a moment. A little vein popped out on Clef's forehead. 

" What's a guy gotta do to get some time alone with his girl around here?! Now I'M gonna kill him!" he cried. Umi nodded furiously. 

" He's going down!" she yelled. " Presea! I want my weapon!" she cried, charging out the door. Eagle was lucky she didn't see him, she ws mad enough to have ripped him to shreds and leave what was left of him for Clef's entertainment. When Umi got to the table, the other two Magic Knights were already there. They flashed her knowing looks, but caught the enraged look in her eyes and backed off. Umi did not see Eagle anywhere and reluctantly took her seat in between Hikaru and Fuu near the front end of the table. The table was very long, obviously made to seat many more than just the people present, so only the very end of the table was filled. Eagle was unknowingly lucky enough to seated across the table and down about five seats from Umi. Clef was a the head of the table, but not far enough for either Clef or Umi to flash him threatening looks. Eagle, no one found out till later, only saw Clef and decided that Clef was angry because Eagle had woken him up and ignored it. An empty mind has no worries, Umi thought with a laugh. The breakfast was like a buffet, grab what you want before it's gone. Umi had no time to talk to Hikaru or Fuu, except to say that she had no plans for the day. Hikaru said, in no attempt to hide it, that she was spending the day with Lantis. Fuu added in a more hushed voice that she too had plans. She didn't mention what kind of plans, but the look Ferio gave her was a dead giveaway. After breakfast had been cleared away, Umi was left alone to wander around. She found herself in her room, exploring her new belongings to a greater extent. She found she had been supplied with brand new custom tailored clothes, all neatly folded away in her dresser with the blue handles. She was surprised by how they were all just the perfect size. Some clothes were a little loose, made to last. Umi cast a glance at her unmade bed. Fuu's, of course, was neatly made already, and Hikaru's was a testimony to a fitful sleep. Umi leaned over her bed and started to make it. After a few moments, there was a knock on the open door and the sound of a clearing throat. Umi whirled around. 

" Eagle!" she cried upon sighting her visitor. She let out a shaky breath. " You startled me." she told him. 

" I'm sorry." Eagle offered. He looked around expectantly and shifted his weight from foot to foot. 

" Oh, I'm sorry! Come in! I'm so silly!" Umi cried suddenly, stuffing some clothes into random dressers. " It's a little messy, we haven't exactly had time to clean anything up." she said by way of excusing the mess. Eagle shrugged. 

" Can't be any worse than my room." he said, stepping into the room. Umi laughed, but she couldn't force the nervous edge out of her voice. 

" Are you kidding? Hikaru lives here now!" she said. Eagle laughed shortly. 

" Um, Clef sent me. He wanted me to tell you to meet him in the garden. What's that about?" he wondered out loud. Umi bent over her bed and ducked her head, to cover the bright blush and anxious twinkle in her eyes. 

" Oh, probably nothing. When does he want to see me?" Umi asked, forcing her voice to sound casual and even. Hikaru and Fuu were the only ones that Umi knew even suspected that she and Clef might have a relationship, and Presea seemed to be entertaining the idea. Umi intended to keep it that way until she and Clef both agreed that they were ready to go public with their relationship. 

" As soon as your ready. He's waiting out there now." Eagle said, snapping Umi away from her thoughts. Umi nodded, still keeping her face carefully hidden from sight. 

" Oh. Thank you, Eagle." she said. Eagle nodded and turned to leave. He paused at the door. 

" Ummm..." he started. Umi turned her head halfway so that she could see him out of the corner of her eye. 

" What is it?" she asked. 

" If you're not busy, would you like to go for a walk later?" he asked. Umi almost jerked upright, but held her muscles stiff and taught. 

" Uh, Clef mght have something he wants me to do, but if I'm free, we'll see." she said. No, she thought, drop-dead no. She intended to stay with Clef. There was no way on earth she was going to even give him the tiniest bit of encouragement. Even if he was kind of cute. 

" Well, uh, see you later then." Eagle said, and almost as quickly as he had apppeared, he was gone. Umi stared after him to make sure he was gone, then closed the door. She primped in front of the mirror, fussing about whether or not to leave her hair down or keep it up in her head band. She finally decided to leave it down. After running a brush through her hair, she slipped outside silently, wanting to receive no attention. In the garden, Umi followed the first path she saw. There was a clearing at the end of it. A huge weeping willow tree was bent in the middle of it and, through it's branches, Umi could make out Clef standing, waiting for her. She stepped through the branches. It was almost like stepping into another world. A world just for her and Clef. Clef turned and smiled at her. 

" Welcome to my willow, Umi." he said. His new height still caught Umi off guard. Umi looked around. 

" It's like... a world of your own." she said in an awed voice. Clef stepped up and embraced her. Arms that were once frail and thin looking now enfolded her strongly. Umi leaned into him and sighed. 

" A world of our own. What's mine is yours, my love." he corrected. Umi nodded and smiled into to his chest. 

" And no one to interrupt us." she added. Clef laughed. 

" I think next time we'll just skip breakfast all together." he said. 

" Sounds like a plan to me." Umi said. Clef ran his hands along her arms, pulling up her sleeves a little to feel her skin. Umi wasn't thinking and let him do it. It didn't occur to her that he would feel her wrist scar like that. She was too busy melting into him and thinking about how much she wanted to say she loved him. She felt his hands frisk along her wrist, over the scar, pause, and then feel it out again. Umi only realized what he had suddenly tensed up about after it was too late. 

" Uh-oh." she whispered inaudibly to herself. 

" What's that?" Clef asked, pulling away from her to get a look at her wrist. 

" Clef-" she pleaded, trying to hide her wrist. He grabbed her hand and pulled at it gently, exposing the scarred wrist. " Clef..." she repeated, this time pleading for a different reason. At first, she had been pleading for him to ignore it, not look, but now she was pleading for him to understand. Clef ran his fingers along the pale scar. 

" Where did you get this scar?" he asked. Umi hung her head. 

" I..." she couldn't say it. She remembered the golden letter opener poised above her wrist, glinting in the moonlight.. Clef took her head in his hands. 

" Did someone hurt you?" he asked intently. Umi shook her head. 

" No." she answered truthfully. The expression on Clef's face became too sad for her to bear. 

" Did you hurt yourself?" he asked slowly. Then he frowned. " Don't answer that if you don't want to. I'll understand." he told her. 

" I can't answer it. I don't know how to answer that question to myself." she admitted. Clef nodded. Suddenly, he pulled her to him and kissed her fericely. Umi answered his passion with her own. Clef pulled his head back and slowly wrapped her in his cloak, pressing his body to hers. 

" I'm sorry, Umi. So sorry. I left you alone for too long. I'm a fool." Clef said. Umi shook her head angrily. 

" No. It's okay. Just make it stop hurting. For a little while. Unitl you can teach me how to make it stop hurting forever." she requested. Clef tightened his grip on her and kissed her again. 

" I'm... helpless to your...whim, my lovely Umi." he said, gasping at each interval. Umi loved the way he said her name, putting the emphasis on the first syllable instead of the second, like most people. 

" Clef..." Umi said softly. This time there was no pleading in her voice, only intense longing and love. 

Fuu followed Ferio devotedly. She had not questioned him as to where he was taking her. So far, she was pretty sure that he was leading her close to the palace grounds boundary, but her since of direction was thrown off from travelling into Cephiro, she wasn't sure. He sure seemed to be in hurry to get wherever they were going. Finally curiosity got the better of her. 

" Ferio, where are we going?" she asked as Ferio stopped and looked in a few directions. " You do know, don't you?" she added, suddenly unsure. Ferio looked back at her and laughed shortly at the last question. 

" Of course I know. Don't worry, I've wanted to show you this place since I found it." he said. Fuu put her hands on her hips and ignored his beckoning to follow. 

" That doesn't answer my question, Prince Ferio." she said irratibly. She always called him "Prince Ferio" when she was losing her temper with him. Ferio stopped in his tracks and gave her a helpless look. 

" I can't tell you exactly where it is, because I don't know. Just... trust me, Fuu. Please?" he asked. Fuu sighed and let her hands fall. She could never stay mad at him. She nodded her head and let him take her hand and pull her along. 

" Ah-hah!" he cried suddenly, pointing at a brook. Fuu nearly leapt four feet into the air at his sudden cry and made a point of slapping the back of his head. 

" You nearly scared me to death!" she yelled at him, before he could ask what that slap was for. 

" Sorry. I found the brook!" he apologized quickly. Before Fuu could answer, he grabbed her hand and took off upstream, following the little brook. If I'm still speaking to him by the time we get wherever we're going, Fuu thought, it'll be a miracle. Finally, he stopped. 

" Okay, Fuu, close your eyes." Ferio instructed. Too taken aback to be uncooperative, Fuu closed her eyes. She felt Ferio guide her to a certain spot and then slip his arms underneath hers and up and over her closed eyes. 

" Ferio..." she said, anxiety welling up inside her. 

" Just making sure." he told her. He leaned his head inward so that his was right next to hers, their cheeks touching. Fuu's heart skipped a beat, all past annoyance forgotten. " Now. Do you trust me, Fuu?" Ferio asked. Fuu smiled. 

" Depends on the circumstance." she joked. Ferio yanked backward with his arms, making her stumble. 

" I'm serious, Fuu!" he said. Fuu leaned back against him, cherishing his closeness. 

" Of course I trust you." she told him. 

" Then walk with me." he said, giving her a gentle shove. Slowly, Fuu started walking, letting him guide her. Finally, Ferio pulled back and she stopped. 

" Put your hands out." he instructed. Fuu did as she was told and started walking again at his gentle push. Shortly, her hands ran against something hard and rough. 

" A tree." she said, feeling Ferio's arms slip away. 

" Right. Open your eyes." Ferio answered. Fuu did and found herself staring right at the trunk of an oak, her hands on it. " Turn around." Ferio prodded gently. Fuu did. She saw a beautiful cascading waterfall, and a rast, rapid river coming from it. She saw the oak she was touching was on an island in the middle of the swirling, raging river. She saw the only way to the island was a narrow little bridge with no handrails, really just two long planks laid across the river. Fuu gasped, realizing that the ground she thought she had been standing on five minutes ago that had seemed so firm was really just two gangly planks poised above a raging river. She turned to Ferio. 

" I...I just walked across that?" she asked shakily. Ferio leaned against the oak and nodded. 

" With your eyes closed." he added. Fuu nodded numbly, feeling faint. She leaned against the tree, closing her eyes and letting out a shaky breath. Ferio stepped up beside her and wrapped his arms around her. She pratically fell in to his arms, her eyes opening to stare at the waterfall. 

" It's beautiful." she said in awed voice. Ferio leaned his head over her, almost a protective, hovering gesture. 

" There is one thing more beautiful than this place." he said. Fuu closed her eyes and imagined the wonders he could show her in Cephiro. 

" I've got to see that." she said softly. Ferio leaned down and whispered in her ear. 

" Look in the mirror." he said. Fuu's eyes shot open and she stared at him. He smiled at her gently. Fuu smiled and nestled back into his strong arms, closing her eyes again. She felt a strange, soft sensation against her lips and opened her eyes. Ferio was kissing her. Fuu felt her muscles stiffen in shock, and then relax, melting into him and becoming as much a part of him as the arms that held her. Her eyes closed and she kissed back, satisfying all the longing and needing she had known for four long years. Fuu finally broke contact, gasping for breath. She leaned against him for support. Ferio sighed contentedly. 

" Did you ever wonder..." he started, stopping himself. 

" Wonder what?" Fuu asked. Ferio grabbed her wrist and pulled her sleeve up, exposing her scar. 

" When you did this, did you wonder if there was a possibility that if you lived, you might end up here?" he asked. Fuu was surprised. She stared at the scar with hate and contempt. 

" How did you know?" she asked. 

" The three men that brought you to the hospital." Ferio answered simply. Now things were making sense. But still... 

" How did you know?" Fuu repeated. " I mean, how did you know that this was happening?" she added, gesturing to the scar. Ferio kissed her forehead. 

" I dunno. I just knew you called me. You called my name. I heard it, clear as day. I knew you were hurting, and I never want you to hurt. I should have came for you sooner, I'm sorry." he finished, burying his face in the nape of Fuu's neck. Fuu stroked his hair. 

" We're here now, and forever, and that's what matters. So long as you hold me like this, I'll never hurt again." she told him. Ferio raised his head and looked her in the eyes. The look on his face was so intense, it hurt Fuu to look. I'm eighteen now, she reminded herself, I can love a man. 

" Don't make promises you can't keep. I might be the one to hurt you next." Ferio said. The thought seemed to pain him as much as it did Fuu. 

" Love me now, and we'll worry about tomorrow later." she said, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him. Ferio fell into the rhythm of their beating hearts alongside her. The only other sound was the constant rumbling of the waterfall. 

Hikaru woke under the shade of a huge fir tree. She was warm and safe, still in the same position she had fallen asleep in. Amazing how she could fall asleep, no matter where she was, as long as Lantis was with her. It worked both ways. Even now, Lantis was smiling in his sleep. Hikaru felt protected by the melodic beating of his heart, with his heavy, strong arms wrapped around her in instinctive protectiveness. Her small, frail form was dwarfed against his broad shoulders and strong, deep chest. Hikaru felt like he could crack her bones simply by squeezing too hard. But he seemed to sense how frail she was when subjected to his strength, and was gentle with her, even in his sleep, and handled her as though she were a delicate porcelean doll. Sometimes she liked this treatment, other times, it annoyed her. Now, she was content to lay there with him. She remembered what she had told him on the meadow. That's what it was like now. Waking up from an awful nightmare, to find the one she loved next to her. But the nightmare had been real, her wrist was proof of that. Hikaru felt a sharp pain at the thought of her wrist. As far as she knew, Lantis didn't know about it yet. She wasn't going to hide it from him forever, she couldn't. She had to tell him, rather than wait for him to find it and then tell him. Hikaru resolved to tell him when he woke up. Yes, the nightmare was real, and somehow it still haunted her. Lantis began to stir. Hikaru, who had already become accustomed to how he woke up, shifted to look at his face as it contorted in the effort to stay asleep. She laughed softly as his eyes slowly opened, closed, and opened again. It seemed too good to be true. Lantis groaned and rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. 

" I'm still getting used to the fact that you're not dream." he told the fully aware girl in his arms. Hikaru smiled. " How long have you been awake?" Lantis asked, making no move to awaken any further. 

" A few minutes, a few hours, what's the difference?" Hikaru said slowly, cuddling closer to Lantis. Lantis opened his mouth to reply, then shut it. 

" I see what you mean. When I'm waiting to see you, it feels later than it is. When I'm with you and about to leave, it feels earlier than it is. When I'm with you and not on a time schedule, like now, time stops all together." he paused and cocked his head thoughtfully. " But that would be just running on lovers' time, wouldn't it?" he asked. Hikaru giggled. 

" Sounds right to me." she said. She buried her face against Lantis's chest while he rested his head on top of hers. He held her for what seemed like an eternity. 

" We'll have to get back to the castle soon, it'll be time for dinner." Lantis said, looking at the sun. Hikaru surpressed laughter and looked at him. 

" Time stopped, remember? Besides, I can wait till breakfast, can't you?" she asked. Lantis looked at her for a long moment. 

" When you put that offer up, I might be skipping breakfast too. In fact, I might not eat anything but lunch for a while." he told her. Hikaru laughed. 

" Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healty, wealthy, and wise." Hikaru quoted. " Skip the early to rise part, and you may not be wealthy or wise, but you'll certainly be happy and healthy. More happy, I think." she added. Lantis laughed now. 

" I like your interpretation of that." he told her, kissing her hard on the lips. Hikaru answered quickly, feeling his hands on her lower back. What does Umi call it, she thought, oh yeah, sweet bliss. 

Clef shifted and tried to strech his muscles without waking Umi. She had fallen asleep a while back. Exactly when, Clef didn't know. Her long, willowy body was streched against his, their arms around each other. The past three hours were embedded in Clef's mind like they had been engraved there, and he knew he would never forget. Umi was wrapped in his cloak, snuggled against him and smiling in her sleep. A picture perfect scene. Again Clef's eyes drifted nervously to the sun. Hurry and wake, my love, he pleaded silently. The thought of being found like this was particularly shaking. Soon someone would come looking for them. Even if it seemed they were encased in their own little world under the willow, the outside world was only on the other side of the hanging branches, and it would be easy enough for someone to walk in. But somehow, Clef couldn't wake Umi. She was too beautiful, too tranquil, too happy. And she was his. Umi shifted and snuggled closer to him. 

" Clef..." she whispered in her sleep. Clef smiled. She called to him even when she slept. Clef kissed her forehead gently and brushed her long, soft hair from her face. 

" Wake up, my love." he pleaded with her quietly. A resistant Umi moaned and hid her face in his chest. She also used their love to get what she wanted, even in her sleep. " Umi..." he whispered in her ear insistanly. Umi raised her head groggily. 

" Uhhh... What is it? Clef? Did I fall asleep?" she asked, her face scrunched up in a dopey I-just-woke-up look. Clef smiled at her. 

" Yes, and it was the most serene thing I've ever seen. Not to mention beautiful." he told her. Umi blushed and looked around. 

" What time is it?" she asked. Clef shrugged. Now that she was awake, she was all the more tempting. 

" Who knows and who cares?" he said, leaning in to kiss her. Umi ducked him and squirmed out of his grasp. She reached for her discarded jacket and began to pull it on. 

" We should be getting back. They might send someone to look for us. And with the luck I've had so far with messengers in Cephiro, it'll be Eagle. And I don't what him barging in on us like this." Umi said. Clef suddenly got an inkling of a suspicsion. 

" Did he... Oh what's the word you use... hit on you?" he asked intently. Umi looked up at him quickly. 

" In a manner of speaking." she said casually, like it was no big deal that someone would hit on her. Clef was outraged. Hit on Umi? His Umi? Someone's head was gonna roll for this. Umi saw him and sighed. 

" Clef, it's no big deal. It's not like I like him or anything. He just asked me to go for a walk with him." she said. Clef could barely control himself. 

" A walk?! Over my dead body!" he said. Umi snaked her arms around him and kissed his cheek. 

" Oh, don't go getting all defensive and protective and territorial. Even though you are cute when you're mad." she told him. Clef sighed. She could melt all his angers away like ice under the summer sun. Maybe that's why he could never stay mad at her when they first met, no matter how annoying or obnoxious she got. Clef kissed her intently, laying down and pulling her with him. 

" Clef-" she protested through his kiss. Clef ignored her and pulled her against him with strength born of love. He finally pulled back and lay there, arm wrapped tightly around Umi. She lay her head against his chest. 

" Clef, we should get back." Umi said, somewhat shakily. Clef smiled at her. 

" What's the matter? Am I too much for you?" he asked playfully. Umi gave him a gentle but sharp thump on the head. 

" As if! Where's that staff of yours? I'm gonna bop you good!" she cried. Clef leapt up and snatched his staff before she could get it. He tsked her playfully. 

" Uh, uh, uh." he scolded her, wagging a reprimanding finger. Umi gave him a serious fish eye look. 

" Hand that thingy over, right now." she demanded. Clef shook his head and dashed away when Umi leapt at him. She ran after him through the castle gardens. Clef was astonished at how fast he could run, an experience he was defiantly not used to. His new height was a strange experience. He led her into the castle, rounded a corner and then grabbed her. 

" Ssshhh. Nobody knows yet, remember?" he said, putting a finger from his free hand to his lips and holding her to him with his other hand. Umi squirmed from his grasp and straightened her jacket. 

" Yeah, yeah, I know." She paused while Clef kissed her intently. " Just try not to make it too obvious." she warned him. Clef laughed. 

" Who, me? You're looking at the ultimate poker face. No emotion whatsoever." he told her. Umi pushed some of his hair away from his eyes and smiled. 

" Whatever." she said. There were footsteps approaching suddenly, and Umi and Clef jerked away from each other. Presea bounded around the corner and stopped at seeing them. 

" Oh, there you two are. I was just looking for you. Where have you been all day?" she asked, giving them a suspicious look. Clef carefully maintained a straight face, determined not to let the tiniest hint of an emotion through. Umi turned a bright shade of crimson and pretended to be looking for something. 

" There was an errand I needed Umi to run for me, Presea. Other than that, it's really of now consequence to you or anybody else." he said matter-of-factly. Presea shrugged. 

" Huh. I swear, you Magic Knights just can't stay in one place. You wake up, you have breakfast, then you disappear until dinner. All of you. Could you explain it to me?" she requested of Umi. Umi shook her head, but didn't say a word. She was too smart for that, Clef knew. Her voice would have betrayed her. 

" Well, I've gotta go find the other two. See you at dinner." Presea said, running out the door behind them. Clef took Umi's hand. 

" You really can keep a good poker face." she admitted. Clef squeezed her hand. 

" Not for too long, I'm afraid. Now let's hurry, or they might send someone else to find us." he said, leading her further into the castle. Umi frowned with obvious disdain. 

" Eagle." she said shortly. Clef laughed at the solemn expression on her face. 

" Don't look so serious, my love. A smile looks so much better on your face than a frown." he said with a laugh. Umi brightened and smiled. The pair finally found themselves in the throne room. 

" Nobody's here." Umi said, stating the obvious. Clef nodded then remembered something Presea had said. 

" Presea did say that all the Magic Knights had disappeared. If the others are gone, it's a fair bet that Lantis is with Hikaru, and Prince Ferio is with Fuu." he said. Umi nodded thoughtfully. She peered out a window and Clef followed her gaze. 

" There they are!" she cried. Sure enough, Fuu and Ferio were coming from the west, and Hikaru and Lantis were coming from the east, both pair heading into the garden. A flash of something caught Clef's eyes. He peered up into the sky. 

" Uh-oh. That can't be good." he said, still staring skyward. It was a huge air ship, hovering silently above the garden. Umi noticed it and cried out. 

" Hikaru and Fuu are gonna pass right under it!" she cried, wheeling around and running back the way they had come. Clef ran after her. 

" Umi, wait!" he called after her, but the girl was already barreling right out into the garden. Clef tried to grab her, but she was too quick. Upon seeing their friend, Fuu and Hikaru both ran to her. 

" No, stop-" Umi cried to them, her sentence cut off by a beam of light. Hikaru and Fuu had already reached her. The three girls took a look around and above them and immediately screamed. Clef lunged foreward but was stopped by the beam of light around the girls, as though there was a force field around them. Swords drawn, Lantis and Ferio both took experimental lunges of their own, only to find the same wall of light. The girls within the beam paused for thought. Everything stopped as everyone frantically racked their brain for a way out. 

" What's going on?" Hikaru finally asked, the sharp edge of fear tainting her voice. Lantis stepped foreward, sword in one hand, and pressed his free hand against the beam. His skin and muscles depressed as though he was pressing his hand against a stone wall. Hikaru pressed her hand in the same spot. Aside from the invisible force field, it looked like their hands were touching with a thin sheet of light between them. Ferio tried using his sword on the beam, but it hit and sheered away, sounding like he had struck stone. He gave up on the sword and heaved himself against the beam. There was a thud as he hit and fell away with a groan. 

" Ferio!" Fuu cried, rushing to him. She pounded her fists feebily against the beam while Ferio stood slowly, gripping his arm to his side. Fuu backed away and threw her weight against the beam. Hikaru kicked it frantically, while Umi felt her hands along the invisible wall, stopping every now and then to pound it. Clef felt his way around the beam again and again, searching for a breach in the stoney coldness. Ferio's arm seemed to be badly injured, and his face was contorted with pain as he pounded his good hand against the beam. Umi finally lost her temper and threw her body against the beam. Fuu picked herself up and threw her body against the walls that held her in one last time, crumpling to the ground with a cry. 

" Umi, stop." Clef told the frantic girl calmly. He stood back to observe and think. He could not let panicked emotions rule his head. He had to think logically. The beam was coming from the air ship above. Perhaps, Clef mused, if we destroy the source, we might make this thing go away. But how to destroy a ship that was at least two hundred feet over head? The answer struck him rather abruptly as he observed Presea come barreling in, explaining the she had heard screams. 

" Presea, give them their weapons!" he cried. Presea seemed to see his point and cast her hand upward. In a flash of light, the three Magic Knights' weapons appeared in their hands. The girls gripped their weapons and thrust them skyward. 

" Windam!" 

" Celes!" 

" Rayearth!" came their cries. The light that followed was blinding. Clef had to shield his eyes with his arm. When the light cleared, the three, rather ordinary looking, aside from the strange clothes, girls were replaced with regal Magic Knights, in full armor. Behind them, their great Spirits, Windam, Celes, and Rayearth, patiently awaited the Magic Knights to don them. This was done faster than the naked eye could see, the girls simply disappearing in another flash of light. By the time this is over, Clef thought, I'm gonna lock myself up in a dark room and stay there. 

Hikaru felt the strange sensation of floating, encased in her own little bubble that was marked by the emblem of Fire. To her right was Umi, in her own bubble, and on Umi's right, Fuu in her bubble. Hikaru knew she was in Rayearth, ready to fight. She was going upward, to the strange air ship where the beam had come from. She was still unable to exit the beam of light, even in her powerful Spirit. As they flew upward, something strange began to happen. Smaller beams of light, like little ropes or whips, shot out from the belly of the air ship and snagged the Magic Knights. Hikaru was pinned. She heard her friends cry out next to her. 

" Umi! Fuu! Save yourselves!" she called to them. Fuu, still weak from her frantic attempts to escape the beam, screamed. 

" No way! We stay with you! Besides, we can't go anywhere anyway!" Umi cried. The beams of light began to shorten, like someone was reeling in the rope, and pulled them toward the ship. The Magic Knights renewed their desperate struggle for freedom. A bright light blinded Hikaru, and sudddenly, all she knew was blackness, then nothing... 

Ferio watched, pain and horror stricken, as the giant Spirits went limp. Their pilots inside them had probably fainted or been knocked out. The panic in his throat was impossible to quell. He struggled to stand from his position on his knees where he had fallen, only to slump back down with a cry of pain. Ferio squeezed his eyes shut against a brilliant flash of light and fought back tears of helplessness and pain. When he opened his eyes again, the ship, the Spirits, and the Magic Knights were gone without a trace. 

" No..." he whispered. Somewhere to his left, Lantis dropped his sword and murmured something. Clef was leaning heavily on his staff as though he couldn't support himself. Presea was sobbing softly. 

" I couldn't help them. We couldn't do anything. Oh, we had to just stand here while they struggled for their lives! Oh, Hikaru, Umi, Fuu, I'm so sorry!" she sobbed, her voice increasing in volume and hysteria. Caldina came running out of the castle, Lafarga right behind her. 

" What was all the ruckus?" Caldina asked, sounding irritated. Ferio felt numb. The pain in his arm was gone as he stared at Caldina blankly. Lafarga seemed to sense something had happened. 

" What happened? Where are the Magic Knights?" he demanded, a frantic edge in his voice. Caldina hurried to the hysterical Presea and attempted to comfort her. Clef, older and more mature, snapped out of his trance first. But the pain in his eyes made a part of Ferio's brain wonder... 

" The Magic Knights have been kidnapped by an unknown enemy. Prepare a council of war." Clef instructed. " And get medical attention to Prince Ferio. He seems to have injured himself trying to aid the Magic Knights. Lantis could use a drink to kick his brain into gear." It was true, Lantis seemed totally dumbfounded. His eyes were clouded and blank. When Lafarga helped him up, he limply stood like a puppet. His shoulders slouched and his steps dragged. He looked like he had been drugged. Ferio didn't notice who helped him up, and he didn't care. His brain and heart were screaming. His brain was telling him to get medical attention and his heart was screaming at him to go get Fuu. Ferio was torn. But when Eagle's confident grip guided him away from the last spot he had seen his love, he found no strength to resist. Fuu was gone. Gone. The word stung almost as much as his jerking steps stung his injured arm. Gone. He felt as blank and numb as Lantis looked. He was aware, his eyes flitted around, noticing things, but it wasn't the same. Gone. Like a horrible, savage chant, the word echoed in his mind like a reoccuring shot. Gone. Nothing would ever be the same until she came back. Gone. Fuu! Ferio's mind screamed. The emotions were wrenching his gut. 

" FUU!" he screamed. But to his own ears, his voice fell flat. Something she had told him earlier that day rang in his mind like a beautiful echo. Her beautiful face gazing at him adoringly as she spoke. " Love me now, and we'll worry about tomorrow later." she had said. Tomorrow's here, my sweet Fuu, he thought, and now that you're gone, I don't know what to do. 

Document created with wvWare/wvWare version 0.6.7 -->


End file.
